Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Almost certainly not.  But the story of how that date came to be chosen as His ‘birthday’ is one that stretches back long before His birth. it seems to have started on the Greek island of Rhodes in 283 BC. That year the solstice fell on 25th December, and it was also the year that...

How about choosing from among the top ten ‘curated list’ of items seen as quintessentially British?  They are: Fine English Tea (No list of British gifts could start anywhere else); quality biscuit; posh marmalade, fine bone china, cashmere scarf or shawl; gin; and traditional British sweets.

As you wait to buy your Christmas presents this month, ever wonder how much the other shoppers in the queue are spending? According to various retail polls, we tend to spend according to the depth of our relationship with the person. And it is estimated that we spend on average: ~ for our friends and...

Some 75 years ago, on 25th December 1950, the Stone of Scone, the coronation stone of British monarchs, was taken from Westminster Abbey in London by four Scottish students as a home rule gesture. They transported it to Scotland but broke it accidentally. It was later left by them in the ruined Arbroath Abbey, repaired...

Church of England academics and policy advisers have renewed their calls for a national conversation on the impact of artificial intelligence on the world of work, warning that rapid technological change raises profound questions. In February 2024, General Synod passed a motion recognising the scale of the challenge posed by AI and the Fourth Industrial...

Church of England celebrates ‘The Joy of Christmas’ in 2025 Crisis in Gaza Sudan Crisis Appeal – CAFOD Ukraine Crisis Appeals Help a family in poverty this year Church Mission Society announces backing for Global Campaign on Children’s Care Reform Why is the vicar wearing white today? Children’s Society to exhibit at Chelsea Flower Show...

On the whole British people are happy with the title ‘Father Christmas’, a suitably neutral name for the central character in children’s Christmases, writes David Winter. In America, however, and by a process of cultural indoctrination increasingly in other English-speaking countries, the same red-coated and bearded fellow with his sack of presents is known as...

Why is the news so full of depressing stories? Why can’t they report some good news for a change? Indeed, our world is always full of troubles, and we may wonder if better times will ever come. Similar comments might have been directed at many of the Old Testament prophets who nearly always said negative...

In recent years a new trend for choosing presents has emerged on blogs and social media platforms. It advises that we should give others only a limited number of gifts, and then, only in specific categories. So, the emphasis has shifted to quality rather than quantity, and to be giving something the person actually wants,...

Matthew 1:18            Joseph’s dilemma This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit….” It is not clear at what point Mary told Joseph the news of her pregnancy,...

It was 65 years ago, on 9th December 1960, that the first episode of the TV soap Coronation Street was broadcast on ITV. The programme, then as now, centred on a terraced street in the fictional town of Weatherfield, in Greater Manchester. It was based on Salford, the hometown of the series’ creator, Tony Warren...

The House of Bishops has recently made a series of key decisions on the future direction of the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith process, which explores questions of relationships, sexuality and marriage. Final decisions will be taken in December. At its residential meeting, the House reviewed detailed theological and legal advice on outstanding...